Effective Seventhday Adventist Leaders General Conference of Seventhday

Effective Seventh-day Adventist Leaders’ General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Office of Global Leadership Development Prepared by: Lowell C Cooper January 2010

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Instructions to presenters: 1. Slides #6 through #11 contain words that are underlined. 2. Clicking on an underlined word will advance the program to a slide that expands/explains the concept more fully. 3. To return to the slide that contained the underlined word, click on the return arrow in the lower right-hand corner of the slide.

Core Competencies

Creates vision/direction while maintaining SDA identity

Uses effective behaviors

Manages the organization

Creates/maintains people focus

Builds empowered workforce

Cooperation & understanding Promotes mutual understanding Builds community Fosters collaboration Masters use of media Practices good PR Resolves conflict constructively Engenders peer rapport

Develops resources

Establishes sense of purpose • creates and communicates a compelling sense of organizational purpose • articulates mission in a manner that inspires heart and spirit of members • cultivates shared goals and rallies support for those goals • preserves denominational identity and relationships

Advances the mission • builds a mission-driven organizational culture • articulates/espouses guiding philosophy and core values supporting mission • focuses attention and resources on strategies employed to uphold mission

Produces quality programs • ensures that sound programs and services are developed/aligned to achieve mission • establishes priorities to guide programs • directs resources to priorities

Maximizes exec committee • constructs exec comm membership to create strong mix of talents, expertise and representation needed to meet current and emerging needs • involves the executive committee in setting direction • clarifies and reinforces division of roles and responsibilities between executive committee and administration.

Thinks strategically • Senses trends impacting the organization’s future environment • Dares to think big and is willing to stretch the organization • Sees the possibilities inherent in new ideas, practices and services • Positions organization to benefit from new opportunities

Masters change • Anticipates, initiates and responds well to change • Views change as opportunity • Manages the organization's understanding of change • Builds commitment for tough choices to cope with change

Welcomes innovation • Commits to continuous innovation and improvement • Exhibits keen judgment about which creative ideas/suggestions will work • Fosters creativity of others • Facilitates effective brainstorming

Takes long-term view • Focuses primarily on long-term solutions instead of "quick fixes“ • Perseveres • Maintains clear sense of purpose and direction over time

Possesses self-awareness • Knows personal strengths/weaknesses • Values self-understanding • Solicits feedback/coaching from others • Actively works on personal growth and development • Acquires new skills and abilities to meet the demands of changing situations

Exudes integrity • Engenders trust in others through direct and truthful interactions • Keeps confidences • Honors commitments • Trusts others, performs with integrity • Interacts in a forthright manner • Acts consistently on ethical set of core values

Demonstrates maturity • Accepts accountability for own behavior • Learns from personal mistakes • Acknowledges own contribution to a problem • Acts swiftly to accept responsibility and correct errors

Exhibits deep commitment • Demonstrates passionate commitment to the organization • Projects devotion to achieving the goals of the organization

Acts decisively • Makes good decisions • Encourages lively debate and diverse opinions to improve quality of decisionmaking • Acts even without total information • Accepts responsibility for decisions.

Uses good humor • Possesses a positive and constructive sense of humor • Laughs at himself/herself and others • Uses humor appropriately

Listens/communicates well • Listens actively and genuinely • Resists dominating discussions • Makes others comfortable to talk • Possesses patience to "hear people out“ • Restates other’s opinions accurately • Expresses self clearly • Minimizes status barriers

Lives holistically • Practices a conscious and healthy balance between work and personal life regardless of ambitions • Models this balance for others

Organizes effectively • Possesses superior organizing ability • Marshals resources to get things done • Lays out work in a well-planned way • Delegates responsibilities/tasks clearly

Puts quality first • Establishes environment and processes leading to continuous improvement • Understands total-quality concepts and techniques and leads organization in implementing them

Structures the system • Structures the organization to achieve integration, cooperation and efficiency • Establishes appropriate policies, practices and procedures to ensure coordination among all parties • Fine-tunes on a regular basis

Plans realistically • Develops short- and long-range plans that are comprehensive, realistic and effective in meeting goals • Integrates planning efforts across work units • Institutes ways of translating agency plans into targets and standards which guide the work of each employee

Budgets strategically • Manages the budgeting process so that resources are devoted to top priorities • Develops realistic budgets that can be responsive to changing circumstances • Involves board and staff in budget process to ensure their understanding of and commitment to budget allocations and constraints

Manages finances soundly • Institutes sound accounting, investment, property management, financial control and reporting policies and procedures • Anticipates financial challenges and works with others to select and implement successful ways to meet the circumstances

Designs good info system • Creates effective management information systems to monitor the status of people, programs and resources • Establishes effective processes for storing, retrieving and updating information to support the organization’s functioning • makes appropriate use of technology

Evaluates efforts • Knows what to measure and how to measure it • Defines both quantitative and qualitative measures of the organization's success • Gives and receives feedback on the quality of products and services • Uses data for improvement; documents and evaluates results • communicates results effectively

Manages risk well • Ensures sound risk management • Establishes necessary policies, practices and procedures to prevent and/or respond to safety and legal issues • Stays abreast of laws affecting nonprofit operations

Puts people first • Builds an organization that cares about the people it serves • Respects individuals • Ensures that services are provided to effectively respond to cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in the community served

Values feedback • Encourages and listens to member feedback • Uses this feedback to improve the organization's management and services

Establishes credibility • Establishes and maintains effective communications and relationships with members • Gains their belief in the organization.

Solves problems • Acts swiftly to solve problems • Responds to client in a timely manner

Empowers the individual • Encourages and empowers others to succeed • Shares both responsibility and accountability • Supports employees to take responsible risks • Creates a blame-free environment

Promotes teamwork • Fosters esprit de corps • Encourages formal and informal cooperation • Assembles effective teams • Knows when to use teams • Inspires others to create teams

Strives for excellence • Creates a passion for excellence in others • Elevates morale by making everyone feel their work is important and recognizing their contributions • Rewards achievement and superior performance • Celebrates accomplishment

Cultivates potential • Coaches and develops others • Builds commitment to a learning environment • Assesses and communicates the strengths and development needs of employees • Provides growth opportunities • Helps others discover and fulfill their potential; shares expertise.

Advocates diversity • Values diversity at all levels of the organization • Sees the organization benefiting from diversity in experience, background and perspective • Hires variety and diversity • Ensures equal and fair treatment of others

Attracts talent • Seeks and hires strong and talented staff • Assembles appropriate mix of styles and skills among staff • Assesses staff performance accurately and regularly

Establishes fair practices • Sets appropriate human resource policies and procedures including equitable approaches to compensation and benefits • Knows and observes personnel rules and regulations • Sees that all employees receive regular and candid performance reviews

Tailors leadership style • Makes appropriate choices between directing, coaching, supporting and delegating as the situation warrants and as the needs of employees change • Operates with openness and receptivity to employees' feedback on how to better lead the organization

Promotes understanding • Understands member/community concerns accurately • Moves adeptly in complex political and social circles • Maintains sensitivity or how people and organizations function • Gets things done through formal and informal channels • Builds rapport with key players

Builds community • Commits to building community and interdependence • Promotes effective relations among diverse racial, ethnic, political and socioeconomic groups

Masters use of media • Presents information to the media in a highly skilled fashion • Responds effectively to challenging questions • Provides responses in proper format for each medium • Creates personal networks and maintains good relations with key media players

Practices good PR • Knows how to develop and implement an effective public relations strategy to foster widespread understanding and support of the organization's programs and activities • Uses public relations to establish and maintain the organization's credibility • Exercises superior oral and written skills

Fosters collaboration • Encourages cooperation and collaboration with other organizations • Seeks ways to improve services and/or reduce costs through cooperative efforts • Shares expertise with others to achieve partnerships • Organizes and operates partnerships effectively

Engenders peer rapport • Values/builds peer relationships based on respect, trust and mutual support • Pushes for the common good while representing his /her organizations interests • Acts with fairness toward other groups

Resolves conflicts • Promotes win-win solutions • Negotiates conflict effectively among different constituencies and interest groups • Bargains with competing interests in a fair and skillful manner

Thinks comprehensively • Understands fully the resources required for the agency’s operational and capital purposes and the array of public and private resources suitable to meet those needs

Negotiates effectively • Maintains integrity of the organization’s mission, values and programs while helping funding sources achieve their aims • Views relationship with funders as a partnership involving mutual reciprocity

Develops effective plans • Develops effective short-term and longterm strategies for obtaining the appropriate mix of resources needed

Builds personal ties • Engenders the trust and respect of donors and those heading key sources of support • Cultivates future support by developing personal relations with potential donors • Maintains good relationships and communications with donors

Assures stewardship • Establishes routine processes to support fundraising, marketing and documentation of compliances with requirements of all funders and donors • Maintains accountability • Uses contributions as they were intended to be used • Ensures ethical behavior in all aspects of resource development